It seems every time I visit the San Diego Sculptors Guild in Balboa Park, I find artist Justin Hammond bringing clay to life. He was at work again yesterday!
Justin is a multi-talented artist who loves to create art that tells a story. The clay he was shaping is part of one amazing story.
The figures you see in these photos he calls Elata. The sprite-like creatures with flowers sprouting from their heads are born as the blossoms of a tree. The tree has grown from a seed: a woman carried away by a flood, burying her.
Each beautiful little Elata creature results from a single memory of the deceased woman.
The story created by Justin develops, until the Elata themselves become memory collectors. It’s a brilliant and original idea that would make an amazing movie. Imagine these fantastic clay figures in a Laika stop-motion animated film, like Coraline or ParaNorman!
In addition to a lot of great artwork, Justin Hammond has created short YouTube videos using clay models. You can see much of it on his website by clicking here!
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An exhibition and sale of Chinese brush paintings continues tomorrow, Sunday, March 1, 2026 in Balboa Park. To view some very beautiful artwork, step into Room 101 of the Casa del Prado between 11 am and 4 pm.
The event features original Chinese brush paintings by members of the Lung Hsiang chapter of the American Artists of Chinese Brush Painting. Admission is free. Most of the pieces on display are for sale.
Visitors get to meet the artists, view a painting demonstration, and even try their own hand at brush painting! If you’re looking for gifts, you’ll find framed and matted paintings, and hand painted cards and crafts.
I visited the exhibition today and am pleased to share a few photos.
When I asked one artist the difference between traditional Chinese brush painting and Japanese brush painting, I was told the Chinese style has more “pop” and more chi, or vital energy. To me, generally speaking, the Chinese style seems a little more bold and colorful than Japanese brush painting, which appears more delicate and impressionistic.
All that I saw was exquisite and very beautiful.
2026 is the Year of the Horse!
For curious eyes, there’s much to discover. I was shown the historical evolution of the Chinese pictograph for horse. The three strokes represent a horse’s mane and legs.
Visitors can learn how to paint it!
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This Sunday, March 1, 2026, the public will have a rare opportunity at the Oceanside Museum of Art. During a free Open House, between noon and 4 pm, the public will enjoy a sneak peek at the museum’s planned expansion into historic Fire Station Number One!
There will also be art workshops, refreshments, and a presentation concerning architect Irving Gill, who designed the 1929/1930 fire station (also called Oceanside Engine House and Police Station), and the original 1934 City Hall and Library buildings.
(One of the museum’s current exhibitions concerns Irving Gill’s many contributions to architecture in Oceanside. I’ll be blogging about that soon.)
Today I was shown a model of the museum with its future expansion. The model, located near the museum’s front counter, is in my first and last photograph. One can see how the Oceanside’s old fire station and police station, adjacent to the existing museum, will become a substantial addition!
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Are you an artist in San Diego? Would you like free access to an extensive and amazing Print Studio?
The Athenaeum Art Center at the Bread and Salt building in Logan Heights has the fantastic facility you see in these photographs. I’ve worked at a local print shop, and the number of presses I saw today blew me away! You’re invited to use them, or take printing classes!
The Print Studio features 5,000 square feet of creativity…and 10 presses and over 300 cases of type. Read more about the equipment and possibilities by visiting this webpage.
My mouth flew open when I saw those many drawers of type–I thought I’d stepped into a printing museum!
The studio offers free weekly Open Print studio time to the public for printmakers of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced, thanks in part to the Prebys Foundation and Dr. Edward Petko.
How cool is that? You’ll be greeted by smiles,too!
As this Instagram post indicates, Open Print Studio invites artists to work independently in our print studio space… Some printmaking familiarity is helpful as Open Print Studio is self-guided, and limited technical support is available for refreshers or help finding supplies. Our facility supports intaglio, screen print, relief, and letterpress. Printmaking classes are also offered throughout the year.
Do you love art? Have you ever visited the Athenaeum Art Center in Logan Heights? You should!
The Athenaeum Art Center is located inside the Bread and Salt building at 1955 Julian Avenue. The art center includes the Catherine and Robert Palmer Gallery, a secondary classroom gallery, and an extensive, very impressive print studio (which I’ll blog about shortly). The main gallery is currently hosting the exhibit Jonathan Paul Parker: All Shall Be Well.
San Diego artist Jonathan Paul Parker‘s first solo exhibition features drawings and painted works that are mostly on paper. His abstract pieces are colorful, complex and dreamlike. They are informed by his involvement in experimental film and improvisational music.
I visited the gallery today.
The images appeared to me like confused dream-shards a sleeper tries to assemble and retain in memory shortly after waking. Or perhaps they’re a sort of visual stream of consciousness–fragments of thought, feeling or memory that take strange form, rising mysteriously to the mind’s eye from a person’s inner being.
The exhibition webpage states: Using color, gesture, and rhythm, [Jonathan] works in a state of focused openness that allows intuitive and archetypal forms to surface. His process draws on the idea of active imagination, where inner images and impulses rise to awareness and shape the direction of the work.
Visit the free exhibition and discover how this unique art speaks to you!
You have a little over a week. Jonathan Paul Parker: All Shall Be Well can be enjoyed through March 7, 2026.
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A super fun mural was painted in North Park last December in time for the holiday season. Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the entire Peanuts gang are now frolicking on the side of 420 Smoke Shop, at 2559 University Avenue!
The talented artist’s Instagram is @cravemoreart. The artist identifies as Scenic Painter for Haunted Trails of Balboa Park 2025. Very cool!
I hope this art remains on the building, even as seasons change and San Diegans dream of sunny, warm beach days–not of Christmas trees, snowmen, winter snow and ice.
Is that Santa and his reindeer up there in the starry sky?
This mural is simply too much fun!
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Do you readers know anything about this sculpture of children at play at the Grossmont Center shopping mall? I discovered it a few weeks ago during a walk in La Mesa and have endeavored to learn more. Nothing so far.
The bronze sculpture, in front of Barnes & Noble Booksellers, shows one child helping another to climb a wall. I found no plaque. Someone on Pinterest claims it has been there for many years and that other similar sculptures are located in the family-friendly shopping complex. If I return to Grossmont Center, I’ll have to look around some more.
Can you shed any light on this fun public art? Please leave a comment!
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A surprising new exhibit opened yesterday at the Mingei International Museum in Balboa Park. Farm to Craft: Grains in Global Folk Art is now on display in the museum’s first floor Entry Level, where admission is free to all visitors.
The beautiful handmade crafts from around the world are a treat for the eyes. These artistic works come from farms–from grown material like straw, rice, wheat or corn.
Crafts include dolls and toys. Some of the creations are made to be worn. Others were designed to be useful farming tools or containers. Excessive plant material that might otherwise be discarded is made useful!
I took a few photographs.
These exquisite crafts from the museum’s collection will be on view through January 10, 2027.
Perhaps, after viewing the exhibit, you’ll be inspired to fold your own corn husk creation–such as those roses made by street performers. Here’s a short video on how to craft a simple, easy corn husk flower!
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If you love San Diego Comic-Con, you’ll love Black Comix Day!
All this Valentine’s Day weekend, artists, writers and publishers of African descent will be showcasing their work at the WorldBeat Cultural Center in Balboa Park. The annual event is free, and it will blow your mind!
The last two years at Black Comix Day I met dozens of friendly creators. This year I saw quite a few new participants.
Together they have produced fantastic comics, graphic novels, books, animation, films, figurines, posters and more. Much of the work is informed by their unique experiences as artists of African descent.
Many of the participants come from outside San Diego. Most are self-publishing entrepreneurs with big dreams. Some of the artists have worked professionally or won prestigious awards.
Everywhere you turn, both outside and inside the WorldBeat Cultural Center, there’s something new and very cool. Science fiction, fantasy, horror, Afro-futurism, superheroes, just about anything the human mind can imagine. It’s pop culture heaven!
Read the photo captions and click links to learn about some stuff I saw…
Defiant: The Story of Robert Smalls is the Civil War story of a man who escaped enslavement. He’d go on to make a huge impact on American history. There’s a graphic novel, and a major motion picture is in development! Click here.Buy some great books at this outdoor table and you’ll support the Malcolm X Library in Valencia Park!Derek Johnson wrote the noir supernatural horror The Caretaker. He’s a Las Vegas filmmaker and comic creator! Click here to support his work!Mike Haynes-Pitts created The Surge Series! It’s about Afrofuturistic, cyberpunk Africa hundreds of years in the future! His Instagram is here.Smiles at the Wingless Entertainment table. They publish comic books, coloring books and more cool stuff. Click here!The Agents of S.O.U.L. and creator David Phillips have many adventures! Check out the DP Comix website here.New Creation Comics is an independent Christian Publisher. Look at all the cool superhero-like covers! Their website is here.Vampires! Blade! Vampirella! Look at the cool pop culture images created by Attiba Royster at his website here!Bryttney-Mischele Salvant was creating a beautiful surreal expressionist piece at her table. To see more, visit her Poetic Artistry website here!More smiling creators! It’s cartoonist and printmaker Lyssette Williams, and Annika B., who wrote Current Objective and was busy creating a business card!What would happen if you turned the Frankenstein monster into a werewolf? To find the answer, check out this website by Eisner Award winning editor, writer and producer Chris Robinson!
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Cool San Diego Sights! 